The accessibility and consumption of video content over the Internet has grown exponentially in recent years. As a result, more and more users have shifted to watching or accessing video content on and through Internet-connected devices capable of reaching a variety of video content resources spread throughout the world. In connection with this shift of viewing habits to accessing Internet-based video content, video content providers have sought to help monetize and support such video delivery by incorporating video-based advertisements into and around the video content requested by users.
Video content providers would like to know whether a particular video served to a user over the Internet is actually received or watched by the user in its entirety. The ability for users to skip or fast-forward past certain videos, or certain portions of videos, means that content providers may know only whether a particular video is requested, but not whether it is actually received or watched by the user. Such uncertainty as to whether videos are actually watched by the requesting user may limit the desirability or incentive for many video content producers to make their video content accessible over the Internet. For example, advertisers may desire to include a short video advertisement around certain highly-requested videos. However, other solutions may not provide sufficient levels of certainty to the advertisers that their advertisements are actually received and watched by users. Lacking such verification, many advertisers may be hesitant to commit the costs of distributing their advertisements in connection with online video content.
As a result, there is a need to provide better information to video content providers regarding delivery of their video content, including advertising content, through Internet-connected devices.